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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781015">A Dream of Sleep [Old]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DovahGeneral/pseuds/DovahGeneral'>DovahGeneral</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, All Routes Spoilers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Asexual Relationship, Drama, Ensemble Cast, Friendship, Multi, Politics, Rewrite in Progress, Romance, War</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:07:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,585</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781015</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DovahGeneral/pseuds/DovahGeneral</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There within the darkness laid a small girl sleeping upon her stone throne, the only lights shining upon her figure, and the only memories present being that which had been lost in the drift of time's distortion. </p><p>It would have been so much simpler to live with the world they had built, to not go back and be forced to craft their empire once again, yet when there is nothing more but endless torture over the mistakes made did they choose the hard road once more.</p><p>Now if only they could actually recall anything about those prior days would this actually be a smart decision, but of course it would hardly be an interesting tale otherwise... </p><p>Or, a tale of two tired travelers who are forced to relive their greatest and worst moments in life.</p><p>[Rewrite in Progress]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>My Unit | Byleth &amp; Everyone, My Unit | Byleth/Sothis, Sothis &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Reflection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and a minor dream of death.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Date Conceived: Winter 2019<br/>Date Written: 2 July 2020—3 July 2020<br/>Word Count: 4,387<br/>5 July 2020 Edit: Grammar and punctuation was overlooked.<br/>30 July 2020 Edit: Cleaned up writing to better fit characterization and pacing.<br/>WARNING: THE FOLLOW MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL UNSUITABLE FOR CERTAIN READERS. FOR THE BENEFIT OF MAINTAINING AMBIGUITY FOR FUTURE STORYLINES NOTHING WILL BE EXPLICITLY MENTIONED IN DETAIL. BE AWARE AS YOU ARE READING AND IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE MATERIAL PLEASE STOP FOR YOUR OWN SAKE.<br/>Summary: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and a minor dream of death.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“And when he looked upon the mouth of the river, he saw in the waters the man he once was. He saw the man who brought greatness to the world and did good by the Goddess, and now he saw that he was but a shadow of himself. And he thrust the blade into the earth and the Sword of the Creator broke the riverbank. And the King of Liberation forsook greatness in favor of greed, and never again was peace an option for the now fallen man.”</em>
</p><p>—Aubin the Apostle, <em>The Book of Seiros</em></p>
<hr/><p>There were but three definitive truths: the girl who slept upon the stone throne was one familiar to him, her presence made the looming darkness nothing more than a set piece to her light, and Byleth Eisner had not a clue as to who she was.</p><p>He stared at the sleeping figure with a stoic expression, yet his mind wandered toward curiosity. Her wild mess of green hair and overall features seemed nostalgic, yet he could not bring himself to answer the question of her identity. </p><p>The moment of his entrance had long since passed, and Byleth had taken to the ground to rest while awaiting her awakening, his stomach not growling from hunger nor did he feel exhausted despite the length of time that had stretched. He threw about his dagger in boredom, though the image of his father occasionally appeared and made him place the blade down.</p><p>Little light was present in the room, and the place which he sat upon was one of the few places below that was illuminated in any way. The pitch black which surrounded them was only held at bay due to some odd light, a light which focused upon the sleeping girl.</p><p>A yawn caught his attention as he looked up to see the girl push herself upwards, stretching her thin and small frame before realization came to her that one was looking upon her. A brief silence passed between the two of them before she shook the rheum from her eyes and leaned forward.</p><p>“Huh,” she began. “Well then, it seems I have a visitor. Never seen your face before. What brought you here?”</p><p>She squinted at the boy only slightly larger than herself, his face unmoving and his hands shifting toward the dagger. Her mouth opened in defiance, but she closed it upon the blade being sheathed. “Well, you have ruined this moment of repose. I’d like an answer as to your identity; who are you?”</p><p>Byleth took a few seconds to take in the question before answering. “A demon.”</p><p>“Ah, a de—what?” the girl babbled, her face showcasing bafflement from the choice answer given by the boy. “Do not deceive. Keep your wit to yourself and give a proper answer; you may enjoy theatrics, but I personally enjoy the gift of honesty.”</p><p>“But that’s what others call me,” Byleth argued, causing the girl to raise her brow. “Father told me not to listen to them, but it doesn’t bother me too much. When that many claim the Ashen Demon comes, then it must be true in some capacity I’d think.”</p><p>“…Well that’s an interesting argument there, alongside a dangerous dose of acceptance.” Shrugging off the unusual logic, a thought came to her. “Well, you at least owe me the duration of your stay. How long have you been awaiting for me to get up?”</p><p>He rested his chin upon his palm, looking up into the darkness before matching her gaze. “A day I think. I tried waking you, but unlike my father you’re rather difficult to wake up. I mean—”</p><p>“How long! A full day!”</p><p>Giving his usual lack of reaction toward her shock, Byleth gave a nod as the girl mumbled to herself. A few seconds passed as the boy simply looked at the girl whose irritation was growing by the moment, and only when he tapped her upon the shoulder did she snap out of her spell.</p><p>Realizing that he had climbed the steps to face her, she gave one last sigh before confronting him again. “Very well. I will not dispute such numbers as I have no way of knowing, but at least tell me why it is that you have come to seek me personally. After all, I was having such a pleasant dream.”</p><p>“Of what?” he questioned, and when she opened her mouth not a statement was given as she froze in place.</p><p>“Well, I mean. I was dreaming of… Hm…</p><p>“Well, anyhow,” she continued onwards, refusing to make eye contact. “How about my question? You still haven’t explained who you even are. Tell you what, I’ll entertain your desire if you’ll be so willing as to divulge your identity and quest.”</p><p>He paused before giving a nod, and the girl gave a sigh of relief as her own desires began to come into fruition.</p><p>“The Ashen De—”</p><p>“No, not the stupid nickname you idiot!”</p><p>Her arms shook as her face was filled with rage, though the boy either took little notice or cared not for the might of a girl smaller than himself. “Byleth. My name is Byleth. And I don’t know why I’m here. That’s why I was waiting for you.”</p><p>“Oh, so now you finally talk with intellect,” she snarked before absorbing the statement. “Wait, Byleth… I was expecting you to be larger by a good amount. You’re supposed to be a man, not a child…”</p><p>“You know me?”</p><p>“Well, of course I do! You’re—” The girl shut her mouth, her eyes squinted and locked upon the boy. She leaned forward toward the unflinching child, but rather than anger confusion set in as she leaned back upon her throne, closing her eyes in meditation. “Well, maybe… No… Okay, no I don’t, but I swear you seem awfully nostalgic.”</p><p>“I think I know you,” the boy admitted, much to her interest. “I mean, I think would remember a girl with a bush for hair.”</p><p>“You’re snarky for a boy whose face is stuck in place. You sure this isn’t some sort of play for you, or are you but a fool when it comes to compliments?”</p><p>A creaking sound shifted the attention from one another to down the stairs, where suddenly a great door opened to reveal a light which blinded both parties. Both Byleth and the girl shifted away, before finding that the light began to fade leaving nothing more but the doorway itself.</p><p>“So, is that where you from?” asked the girl after a moment passed but was met with a no. The two walked down the stone steps to see that the mysterious entryway gave a path to forest covered by frost, a great blizzard spewing snow everywhere but the inside where they stood.</p><p>“What is this place?” Byleth questioned, looking out and feeling a large layer of snow pressing upon his neck. The girl’s brow was raised when she saw that he reacted once more with silence. Walking out herself, despite her clothing revealing areas of skin which would be sensitive to the frost, she stood undeterred.</p><p>With a snap of her fingers the snow both melted and then evaporated from her skin, the area around her being protected by an invisible barrier which prevented any more from approaching. “I’d like an answer to all of this, but something tells me neither of us knows much of anything at this point. Also, I didn’t call you here so don’t think I’m doing this on purpose; not that I’d bother with a child like yourself.”</p><p>“Aren’t you a kid?”</p><p>The girl only scoffed at the comment and proceeded to move into the tree line, with Byleth on her tail. The duo walked forward never shivering nor giving much thought as to why they decided to leave the stone throne.</p><p>“What was that place, anyhow?” Byleth questioned. “That stone throne place; it was odd with darkness that I can’t see beyond and the light seemed to focus on you for some reason. You built it?”</p><p>The girl was silent for a moment as she tried to find a path beyond the trees, but upon failing returned her attention to her guest. “If I’m to be honest my memory is a bit hazy. At this moment I guarantee you that no matter what question you may possess, I hold none of the answers. Oddly, I felt that I did for a moment and I’m certain that room is of my own, but I could not tell you much of anything.</p><p>“Frankly, I cannot even recall my own name.”</p><p>He gave a grunt of satisfaction before walking to the right out of the blue, where the girl spotted an oddity in front of them. The trees circled around an opening where there was a well, and sitting beside the stonework was a human who took notice of them as they approached.</p><p>He was decrepit with a tall build, with the armor he wore being so large it seemed as if in the past he was a great warrior but time had taken its toll as it always did. His hair was still upon his scalp yet it was balding in random spots, and when he gave a smile his teeth were ruined with stains and other misfortunes which were born of age.</p><p>And yet the two felt no evil from the man and walked to him without hesitation.</p><p>“May we ask for your name, sir?” the girl asked, but the man gave not a word but instead leaned his shoulder toward the well itself. The duo looked at each other before walking up to it, looking down to see that its height was far greater than either expected as the light shined not a thing at the bottom.</p><p>“So, is there a village nearby that you may take us—”</p><p>With surprising strength the man shoved both of them inside, where they began to plummet. The girl gave a shriek while the boy gave his usual routine, and the tight corridor that was the well began to open up into a wide crevasse without an end.</p><p>By the time a minute seemingly passed the two landed onto a patch of grass, and when looking around found that they were now beside a riverbank with meadows of beautiful flowers about. No longer were they the only beings about as birds chirped overhead, and a horse ran about in the distance seemingly distressed.</p><p>“This is interesting,” the boy said as he gazed at the disturbed mount. The girl glared at him as she dusted herself of any loose foliage, looking up to see not the hole but instead an open sky. Cursing the entire affair, she walked forward without warning down the bank ignoring the mare screaming in the distance.</p><p>Byleth kept looking upon the animal, but found that he was being left behind and chased after her. When he caught up and took a glance behind, he saw that the horse was now missing and they were alone once more. “This another part of your home?”</p><p>“I’ve told you that nothing about any of this is coming to me.” She gave a pause. “Well, admittedly that old man seemed familiar I guess, but not in looks. Rather… in nature. That last act of his, though, is something to seek retribution for, but it didn’t feel as if he meant harm. I don’t know, your existence seems so much saner compared to everything else. I mean you don’t seem to be knowledgeable of anything going on either.”</p><p>Their conversation was cut short when the duo bumped into a wall, and looking forward saw a cathedral of some sort standing before them. With a sigh the girl simply looked for an entrance while Byleth followed quietly. They found not a door but instead a window, and within a single glance both recoiled in shock.</p><p>A man sat there dead, there being no damage upon the body yet they knew instinctively there was no life inside the building, and before him upon the wall was a great mural which had a dancing figure painted upon it. The entire building was highly decorated with base materials which brought gilded marble to shame, yet the image was which captivated both even more so than the signs of death.</p><p>“Let’s leave this be.” The girl dragged Byleth away from the building before he could have a chance to investigate, and upon spinning about found himself standing on a wood bridge. Another frustrated growl erupted from the girl as she stomped about, muttering about trusting her instincts and the old man.</p><p>He gazed to the side to see a woman slumped outside her house basking in the sun, and he swore that there was another girl who was dragged away by something. A great howl came from the distance and he unsheathed his dagger. Looking to his partner, he found that she disappeared and found himself by his lonesome.</p><p>Slowly walking across the bridge, he heard a flurry of horses approaching from behind, and when turning to meet the incoming threat saw a stone statue of a knight leading the charge, an arrow being thrust into his heart as if it was a man frozen at the time of his death. The hooves he heard clambering forward were frozen in place and the entire horde behind him was in a similar situation.</p><p>Another one of the riders was garbed in similar apparel in the style he had saw a handful of nobles in the past adorn themselves with, yet unlike the brave man who fearlessly charged, he instead had his life taken trying to protect another figure, this one being one who was garbed in attire more similar to that of the serfs he had seen on the road.</p><p>And in his heart Byleth knew he had seen of all of these figures, and that he could not pinpoint their names.</p><p>“Hey!” the girl cried out unexpectedly, her hands gripping onto his as she dragged him away from the spot. He looked to her and saw that her face was one of terror, and he felt his arm shake while trapped by hers.</p><p>“Look, I’m sorry for all of this, alright! I know that we never agreed upon this, but—"</p><p>“What are you talking about?” he pulled back. “I didn’t say anything.”</p><p>“What? But I thought—”</p><p>A great plume of fire slammed into the ground, and both were thrown from the spot as the thunderous noise approached from both sides. They looked and saw two armies coming into contact with each other, and the two of them were at the apex of the clash itself.</p><p>Without warning the girl leaped upon Byleth and shielded him from the incoming clash. He braced himself for the impact, but heard the battle in the distance and realized neither were at the spot they were prior. The girl was now unconscious, and whatever power she had used seemed to have worn her dry.</p><p>A shout came from the brawl and Byleth saw a woman cutting down soldiers by the dozen, her skill with a lance being unmatched until an arrow made its way into her chest. Three more came and landed perfectly, and upon sliding off the saddle did her neck snap upon the floor of the battle.</p><p>A man armed with but a sword kept swinging in spite of the injuries he had sustained before being put down by a dozen spears into his backside. Even still did he crawl forward, but one man took notice and decapitated him with a nasty blow which had Byleth reeling.</p><p>A goliath came barreling into the fray, his fists denting plate and he soon dove for someone of much smaller stature. Upon closer inspection it was a girl around his own age, and Byleth winced at the sight of the man being massacred trying to protect the child.</p><p>From the skies came falling a knight, her sword still gripped even as she fell to the earth from Heaven itself. She desperately reached for her mount, but it was also killed by a volley of arrows shot into its body, and her death came suddenly upon impact.</p><p>A great cry came from her death, but not before another fell with the enemy’s blade still impaled into the newly deceased’s chest, the man taking his killer with him by slamming the soldier’s body, rocking the earth as he collapsed soon after.</p><p>The flames which had sent them flying had consumed the battlefield, and a shriek pierced Byleth’s ears as he watched the figure of a girl fighting off a small contingent of soldiers. One had pushed her into the flames and she struggled before collapsing in the flames.</p><p>One who was watching the entire affair could not land a single shot from his bow, and instead walked toward the charred corpse that once held life before being consumed himself, and not a whimper was given as he fell dead.</p><p>And as Byleth watched the carnage he felt himself being carried away from the field as arrows were loosed at his former position. A knight had grabbed him and with a throw sent both he and the girl flying as the man was impaled in the neck, a smile given toward their direction as the he choked on his own blood.</p><p>Upon impact the girl suddenly opened her eyes and looked about, and found none of the combatants or anyone else except for Byleth who had fallen unconscious himself. “What in the world happened? Where are we?”</p><p>Seeing that her surroundings was that of a town, she looked for a nearby alleyway and desperately dragged the boy’s body where he could be safe before taking his blade for herself. Armed with only a weapon that gave her little protection, she prayed that whatever magic she was mysteriously producing would come to her aid.</p><p>She darted about the various houses, and heard footsteps coming her way. She dodged behind a few crates as soldiers of the same kind as on the battlefield emerged, being cut down by magic from afar and a mage who was with them was killed upon impact, his body being pierced by some dark energy and was thrown about.</p><p>“Bastard!” she heard being cried out by a woman nearby, and soon the girl saw her carrying a lifeless body seemingly oozing the dark energy thrown prior. Placing her friend down the woman went on a rampage, massacring any who came toward her general direction. Only when another spell was shot at her direction did she fall, but not before killing another three in her last act.</p><p>“Why… Why did I…”</p><p>She heard the mutters come from the direction of the spell, and the mage who had done the woman in was another who looked upon the dead with tears in her eyes. She reached out for three of the bodies before being skewered with an arrow from behind, and a grief-stricken smile was given as she fell.</p><p>The girl could hear her own breath as she stepped aside the corpses, trying to pay them no mind. “<em>It all began with that kid waking me up, and here we are trying to avoid a carnage born from madness. And why I am I so scared? I mean, of course I would be terrified, but it feels as if it’s only them… Them?”</em></p><p>“Well, madness is one way to put it. Fódlan has always been this way, though, to be honest. Well, I guess home ain’t so different, but never let Lorenz hear that one or he’ll never let up. Not that I have much experience in that front, but you know what I mean, right Teach?”</p><p>She turned in shock to find not a single soul in the vicinity, yet the words rang throughout her heart and she found herself on her knees. Then she saw that the pavement below was slightly different than the one she originally stood upon, and braced herself for the next scene.</p><p>Instead of a battle or someplace outdoors she found herself in the midst of a room layered in paintings. Of course death was a recurring trend in this chaos and the first depicted a man grasping the first mage from the previous encounter, his own body caked in blood and scarred by the horrors of war.</p><p>The next was of three figures, a beautiful woman who was trying to raise the dead even as her own life was fading away and her target seemed to be a boy in his mother’s arms, the poor woman downtrodden and accepting of the soldiers which were coming to end them.</p><p>Footsteps from behind had her thrust the dagger in the air, but she relented at the last second upon seeing Byleth awake and staring at another portrait, one that depicted two men battling to the death over the corpses of two women who seemed related to the respective warriors based on the color of hair.</p><p>Wordlessly the two searched for another and found one showcasing the death of a scholar, his body impaled from both sides by a woman and man who killed each other with the same attacks, as if his body were being fought over.</p><p>They walked to the next and it was not of the coming moment of death, but rather the immediate aftermath, with an aging man holding what seemed to be his daughter. Unlike the rest the man seemed content with his fate, though tears were still shown to be falling onto his girl despite as her lifeless corpse accompanied her father to the bitter end.</p><p>Both scenes with families made the girl wince, but it was the last one which caught their eyes the most. In it was a knight who had passed standing upon with his axe lifting the corpse up, and behind him was a woman who stood out as not being at the moment of death, but rather contemplating it as she held a dagger to her throat, grief overtaking the woman like she could plunge the blade in at any moment.</p><p>“What have I done… I didn’t mean…”</p><p>It was the first time she had heard him say anything not in the monotone voice of norm, and seeing her compatriot clawing at the painting forced her into action by dragging him away. “I’m sorry!” he screamed and trying to see what he was looking at, she saw that the woman in the painting had indeed plunged the dagger when she was not looking.</p><p>Upon turning her attention so did a great sea of red fill the room, and the duo was swept away by the tides.</p><p>Both struggled for air but felt not a drop on them, and when opening their mouths found they could breathe beneath the tides of blood. They tried to remain calm as the waves disappeared, and suddenly it was a stormy night with only the lightning above to illuminate the field they stood upon.</p><p>Mud covered the earth as they proceeded onward, both twitching at any hint of movement before both stopping at the feet of something massive. Its great size dwarfing anything they had seen in the past, and its body was covered in steel and binding which gave the impression that it was but a slave to something greater.</p><p>It seemed dead as all other things were, and beneath it was a man who was garbed in black, his eyes lifeless and seemingly staring into the beast’s own. The two were as if eternally tied to another, like it was a battle that was to occur even as neither of the bodies could no longer move to do the act of war.</p><p>
  <em>“I am…” </em>
</p><p>The two spotted something beyond the duo, another set of figures though these two were still moving and grasping at each other.</p><p>
  <em>“My name… It’s…”  </em>
</p><p>Tears were pouring down each other’s faces, yet they gripped onto the daggers they had on their persons and refused to pull out the blades.</p><p>
  <em>“So… By…” </em>
</p><p>And upon realizing they were no longer alone took to look upon the duo, and gave a smile of pity.</p><p>
  <em>“My… M-my… I am…” </em>
</p><p>With speed the blades were no longer plunged and instead came shooting toward both of them.</p><p>
  <em>“I was the one who deserved to die.”</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey! Wake up! Come on, what’s wrong! Speak to me dammit!”</p><p>Byleth found himself awake, staring at his father and once more in the tent the two shared. No longer was the girl beside him in the midst of madness. No longer was he forced to watch the world rip itself asunder for no reason at all.</p><p>No longer did he have to feel that awful thing known as guilt and instead embraced his father, catching the older man off-guard.</p><p>Jeralt said nothing but instead patted the back of his son, and neither said a word even as minutes passed. Pulling away to let his father go, Byleth saw that the mercenary possessed a look of concern, yet when he gave his usual stoic face it seemed to calm the man down.</p><p>“I guess we all have nightmares sometimes,” Jeralt argued, though his words seemed slow to come out. “Anyhow, you were tumbling about in your sleep. Never seen you like that before so I got worried. It’s the middle of the night, but if you can’t sleep then it’s alright.”</p><p>Byleth stayed silent for a brief moment before looking up. “Can I be alone for a little bit.”</p><p>“Well… No, that’s fine. Take the time you need.”</p><p>Upon his departure Byleth fell back onto the mat, feeling his lungs about to burst from the sheer amount of breaths he took. Sweat poured down his body as the memories continued to swirl about. And for that entire endeavor he did not get the name of the girl, his reason for being, nor did he remember any of the people in the awful scenes.</p><p>But in his father’s eyes he saw the man beside the well, and he knew what he had seen was but an omen to come.</p><p>And left in his tent by his lonesome did he for the first time in his <em>apparent</em> thirteen years of life cry until slumber took a hold.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well this is my first story in a long while, so hopefully I haven't gotten to sloppy since then, and maybe I've actually gotten better with age. Doubtful, but perhaps. Hopefully, the story will not be confusing to read via my writing style, and perhaps you may actually find yourself enjoying it somehow. Any comments and critiques would be great to have, and I hope you enjoy your day.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Recollection — I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Last Chapter: A young Byleth found himself face to face with a mysterious girl, and though both were at a loss for words with each other’s presence, they together walked down a path that led to tragedy. Though neither had seemingly met one another in the past nor knew of the events they witnessed, both felt dread and guilt during the entire affair. Upon awakening after being killed in the dream, Byleth broke down with his father’s departure upon realizing that the entire machination was of affairs to come.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Date Conceived: July 2020<br/>Date Written: 9 July 2020–10 July 2020<br/>Word Count: 4,094<br/>30 July 2020 Edit: Cleaned up writing to better fit characterization and pacing.<br/>WARNING: THE FOLLOW MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL UNSUITABLE FOR CERTAIN READERS. FOR THE BENEFIT OF MAINTAINING AMBIGUITY FOR FUTURE STORYLINES NOTHING WILL BE EXPLICITLY MENTIONED IN DETAIL. BE AWARE AS YOU ARE READING AND IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE MATERIAL PLEASE STOP FOR YOUR OWN SAKE.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“The First Emperor stood about the broken homes and broken men, and asked the Saint when will the light shine once more upon his people. And the Saint pointed northbound and the First Emperor knew his plight was that born of arrogance, and rode to the city to rally his men. And the Saint meditated on the journey to come, and seventy-two hours passed and she unsheathed her sword for strife and war.”</em>
</p><p><em>—</em>Aubin the Apostle, <em>The Book of Seiros</em></p><p>A false priest walked upon the stage, and the masses celebrated in the name of the Goddess.</p><p>Walking up the steps and peering into the town hall, Jeralt spotted the local bailiff and a handful of aldermen talking within the confines to themselves before noticing the mercenary commander. One of the men inside was not of the council, but instead the mayor of Remire Village, and he excused himself from the premises with a look of dismay upon him.</p><p>After dismissing the rest, the bailiff greeted Jeralt, and the two looked upon the festivities below, the various villagers that surrounded the immediate area flooding into the town with some already dancing about in drunken merry. Some of the local guilds had come together to prepare a feast, yet food was not to hit the stalls until nightfall.  </p><p>Jeralt took notice of the now motionless pageant wagon, the various actors preparing the tale of the Saint in Enbarr, with the illiterate peasants perhaps looking upon what was to be their first taste of the holy story outside the local church. The entire settlement was at arms in anticipation, with a handful of the clergy there to observe the performance.</p><p>“Never been the biggest fan of the liturgical classics personally.” Jeralt’s eyes looked upon a handful of artisans drafted into the play, their costumes too poor to represent the shining warriors Seiros had enlisted in her army. “I remember them a bit from childhood, but things were different back then.”</p><p>“Different how?” the bailiff asked, eyeing up the man of contemporary age. “These things never shifted much from my day. Rumors speak of you coming from the north; does the Holy Kingdom do things differently up there?”</p><p>“Spectacle wasn’t our biggest concern. Came from a real backwater of a place. Trust me, the folk I grew up around gave not a damn for these things. Anyone who wanted to hear the word of the Goddess would go to church, not anything this fancy or expensive.”</p><p>The man gave a grunt of content before motioning the guards to keep anyone from approaching, noticing some citizens who had taken notice of the built and looming mercenary, his armored self and messer clashing heavily with the lighter atmosphere, and some of the militia moved forward to deter any more observations.</p><p>“Don’t particularly come this close to church territory, you know,” Jeralt began. “Bad business encountering the order with an army without jurisdiction; mercenaries aren’t smiled upon in these parts. Any reason you would put out such a reward for simple banditry with the Knights of Seiros constantly patrolling these parts?” </p><p>“You haven’t heard, huh,” the bailiff noted. His eyes darted about yet not a single soul seemed to pay any attention after guard intervention. “Rumors are abound of a handful of heretics in Nuvelle causing a stir. The story goes that the Central Church paid little mind at first, but then two squires go missing and now the entire monastery is up in arms. A passing patrol just mentioned they’re moving companies in the south to form an expedition.”</p><p>“Which means you’re a bit spooked by the idea of being so close to the fighting.” The man remained quiet, but the idea was up in the air. Jeralt looked upon the various guards surrounding the people and noted but eighteen for the few hundred that had gathered. “How many are there in the rural areas? All of this and only that many soldiers for a town’s already miniscule.” </p><p>“A handful per village,” the bailiff answered. “Many of the nearby settlements are filled with war veterans from that excursion with Dagda. The Empire disarms its soldiers at the end of a war, but leniency is bound to happen and many aren’t out of their primes yet.”</p><p>“So why even bother having us around? You have way too small of a garrison, but you have a mass of church soldiers here. And besides, Arundel is the homeland of the Imperial Regent; you have the entire might of the state if one were to invoke retribution.”  </p><p>“You saw Remire’s mayor, didn’t you? A horse was stolen a few weeks back which was something I suppose, but then some cattle was rustled and then an entire field was set aflame in the midst of the night. And we have yet to find the perpetrators, and I’m not even sure if it’s one group.”</p><p>A call came from the hall and the bailiff excused himself, leaving the mercenary captain to himself. The sounds of the crowds raised as the actors began to start in true, a beautiful woman dying her hair a vibrant green in emulation of the Saint stepping forward.</p><p>He looked away in discomfort and went down the walkway.</p><p>Upon reaching the ground he spotted the aforementioned mayor shaking in fear, sweat dripping down the man’s face. Jeralt frowned and walked forward, but loosened up when the man moved back in fear. Patting him on the shoulder, Jeralt walked away with the man shaking slightly less than before.</p><p>“Some job we got ourselves, huh kid?” Jeralt noted as his gaze went southward. “Sergeant! Gather five of the forty. We’re riding to Remire Village.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Not a single trace of banditry in the immediate area, sir. Only a handful of roused boars and the occasional drunk, but the village seems safe enough.”</p><p>Byleth nodded as the soldier was relieved of his post, and two of the recruits grumbled upon realizing who was to pick up the slack. Riding upon the dirt roads was a simple task, yet whispers of a communal feast celebrating the new year had left the duo in a bitter mood as they walked away from a potential meal.  </p><p>Waving goodbye to them, Byleth turned his attention to the various recruits left in his stead by Jeralt who had the other half of the company on his person. The majority seemed as miserable as the other two, groaning about not leaving for the town where the real party was occurring.</p><p>Most were green without experience, some being his age or younger, all wearing minimal armor, and possessing weaponry more fitting for a desperate conscript than a professional warrior. Only a handful of the veteran core remained, though Byleth had the luck of being gifted the more diligent and calm fellows by his side.</p><p>Some had taken up sparring to vent frustrations, swinging either the wooden weapons made for practicing form or the blunted iron meant for acclimation of balance. This small group had turned into an entire training session, with the three sergeants left in Byleth’s care taking over in observation.</p><p>A handful had looked to the lieutenant and Byleth obliged to their wishes, picking up a longsword for himself yet shrugging off any suggestions for armor, and eyeing up a handful who seemed delighted at the prospect of whacking their boss over the head.</p><p>“Three on the lieutenant,” one of Jeralt’s eldest veterans called for, shaking his head for the poor trio who had the guts to take on the man. Within seconds the handful eager youths walked up and readied their blades in front of Byleth, the latter making little adjustments to his stance or grip.</p><p>The first one at the front swung within moments, putting his whole body into the blow and therefore unable to react upon being greeted with a sidestep. A single sweep to the legs sent him plummeting below, and before he could catch his bearing the feeling of iron upon the back caused him to wheeze in agony.</p><p>The other two looked at one another with sweat dripping down, and were soon caught off-guard by their lieutenant slamming into them and pinning both onto the ground, the blunted edge of the blade being placed upon their throats, and upon spotting his emotionless face screamed for mercy.</p><p>One of the veterans gave a chuckle. “Well, they certainly lasted as one expects.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t say that,” another smirked. “They lasted longer than the group back in the Alliance; had the curtesy of trying to hit him at least. Still sad, but… No, it’s still sad.”</p><p>Though the performance had been rough on the trio’s part, the lieutenant’s fast movements and uncaring demeanor caused any recruits wishing for advice to back away from the man. By the time the three had been moved aside to recover Byleth was left with not a soul to spar against, and felt himself being pushed away from the area.</p><p>“Go to the village for some fun, lieutenant,” Jeralt’s eldest companion had called out. “We got things handled here. I’ll make sure the patrols report in and I’ll write something down to review later. Just relax for once in your miserable life child; seen you sulking for ten years, let’s end it today.”</p><p>With a nod Byleth attached his bastard sword to his hip and unhitched his horse, the animal only being broken in a few days ago yet she was aged and therefore not as feisty as one would expect. Soon the steed began to put on a decent gait, carrying Byleth toward the village’s interior.</p><p>The sound of rushing water caught his ear alongside the sight of a handful of fishermen upon the riverbed. Completely captivated, Byleth changed directions in a hurry and found a suitable place to hitch is mount. Within seconds the man walked down the slope to the surprise of the villagers, all of whom now staring at the mercenary.</p><p>One man was a rather aged individual whose body was of impressive enough build for a senior of great age, though his hair was balding in random spots, and when he looked upon Byleth in a gape did the latter spot his decrepit teeth worn from age.</p><p>Byleth stared at him for a few moments before shaking his head and placing out a silver penny.</p><p>“May I use your fishing rod?” Byleth asked, and some of the citizens looked amongst themselves, though the mercenary could hardly hear the discussion taking place. The elder in front of him seemed stuck in time before coming to his senses, and pushed away Byleth’s hand.</p><p>“I’ll just get you one we have lying about,” smiled the man, seemingly amused by the entire affair. One of the fishermen’s children looked about for a spare rod for the stranger, though none seemed to be with them and so left for the houses beyond the ridge.</p><p>“Aren’t you an odd one.” Byleth said nothing and the old man gave a hearty laugh. “Well, I suppose we owe you lot for sticking around these parts anyways. You’re one of those mercenaries, right? Sure, a handful of us have seen war, but I guarantee you that our bones are aching and our hearts no longer wishing for slaughter. No, just fishing for me thank you very much!”</p><p>The old man’s arms were pulled forward and with a tug came a rather decent sized fish the size of a child. In spite of his age, the old man managed to drag it to his position and with Byleth’s help detained the animal. Some of the others smiled at the sight and began to discuss how to prepare it.</p><p>“Sturgeon; rare thing nowadays,” the old man noted. Byleth looked at it with curiosity, never having caught such a thing in his life, and struggled to keep it from slapping him. “A handful of those in the upper estates love catching these things and ripping the mothers open for the eggs. Real delicacy these things, and a sign from the Goddess of further bounty I’d imagine.”</p><p>“The Goddess?”</p><p>Upon asking about the deity, a pang of pain erupted from Byleth’s head and he immediately dropped the fighting sturgeon. The old man looked at him in bafflement before calling for the others to get help, leading to two to climb the slope to search for the local apothecary.</p><p>The world became a blur as the clear as day faces became nothing more than fuzzy images, and Byleth could feel his ears vibrating and constricting themselves. The only sounds he could hear was that of the ringing now stuck within him, and any attempts by the villagers to assist were ignored.</p><p>“You okay there kid?” The old man placed a hand upon Byleth’s shoulder, trying to get the mercenary’s attention. After a handful of breaths, despite the lingering pain Byleth looked beyond his shoulder to reassure the kind gentleman that whatever was going on that he would be fine.</p><p>He looked upon the face of his father filled with worry and slumped forward in shock.</p><p>Now his legs began to tremble and he wandered away from the terrified villagers, moving to a nearby bridge where two children were playing amongst themselves. Neither had seemed to taken notice of the struggling man below and were talking about affairs Byleth couldn’t care for.</p><p>When taking a closer look Byleth felt the pain increase in intensity, yet he was suddenly curious and desperately desired their attention. Climbing up the grassy slope despite the various calls behind him, the two children finally were removed from their bubble and saw Byleth looming above them.</p><p>
  <em>“I was the one who deserved to die.”</em>
</p><p>And with a lunge he hurled himself over the bridge’s sides and into the water below.</p>
<hr/><p>“…No… It wasn’t…”</p><p>Byleth opened his eyes to see himself in an awfully familiar room, one that had him spin about reaching for his blade. He was disarmed besides the dagger upon his belt, and he looked to spot the sleeping girl once more, muttering in her sleep with fear laced in her voice.</p><p>Her tired form was struggling in the midst of some form of dream, and the mercenary carefully walked up to the stone throne with his blade in hand. He quietly made his way to her side and saw that she was sweating up a storm, her teeth clattering, and her nails carving some imprints upon the rock.</p><p>Pointing the dagger away from her, he tapped the girl on the shoulder a handful of times only for his arm to be grappled. When pulling back he felt her entire body collide upon his and felt himself being pushed to the bottom of the steps with her in tow.</p><p>The fall was nowhere as painful as he expected, yet he groaned to himself as the girl slowly got up from him with a look of bewilderment upon her. When realizing who she sat upon did she panic in a similar manner he did earlier by the river, though she quickly snapped out of the turmoil within an instant.</p><p>“You…” she spoke out. “You’re back… You’re older too. Much older—”</p><p>“What do you know?” Byleth asked, ignoring her current state of mind as memories of the nightmare returned to him. His voiced was raised and he felt himself panting. “I have seen many things on the battlefield, many of my comrades dead beside me. None of which caused me such pain as that one path we walked down.</p><p>“Father says I never cried once, not even as an infant. Well I did that day, and I want to know why.”</p><p>Gathering composure, she stood up and closed her eyes in contemplation. “I really don’t know, I’m afraid. I’ve only been awake for a handful of times, all of which lasting seconds before I plummeted back into slumber—back into the nightmare by my lonesome without you by my side. I know not why you were there that day, or why you are here now, but I have a feeling I do know in actuality.”</p><p>“And what does that mean?”</p><p>The girl thought for a moment. “It means that I have an awful feeling I am the cause of all of this suffering, yet I cannot say I know why exactly.”</p><p>“Pardon?” he called out, but the girl ignored him as she walked about him, trying to get a better look at the person whose life she was connected to. He stared back and felt the dread still gnawing at him.</p><p>“This entire room seems to be dedicated to myself, or at least is now of my domain. Once upon awakening I tried to descend the steps before passing out, yet there I was once more sitting upon it. It is not fear that I feel upon that throne, yet my heart yearns to walk toward that door we saw in spite of the nightmares—to leave this chamber.”</p><p>Her eyes glanced toward the weapon, and Byleth quickly sheathed it. Both parties found themselves at peace with one another, and no longer did the pain harass Byleth as it did earlier. “So it is your room, nonetheless?”</p><p>“Yes…,” she said. “I do not know why it is, but I know that this place is both nostalgic yet constrictive. And more importantly than that I see the current you as more nostalgic than the boy I met back then, who I already knew in spite of it being our first meeting. But before we move on, I must first ask what were you doing before coming, because we never got to that in our first encounter.”</p><p>Byleth became silent and recalled the pain, though it was but distant memory in this dark abode.</p><p>“There was a man fishing by the riverside. He looked so much like the father in my dream, and in fact resembled the man by the well far more than my father does without question, yet he was far too youthful and still had strength within his bones. And then there were the two kids, who I thought were the duo who hurled the daggers at us. They too were much younger in life than in memory, yet I swore it was them.</p><p>“But I know that they are not who I saw in the nightmare. They can’t be. I just know.”</p><p>“Well you want to know what I think?” the girl asked. “I believe that everything that has happened is absurd, all of it without a shred of reason nor is there any evidence to formulate any answers to this nightmarish scenario. And yet we must accept the absurd with the proper care of any investigation, and think of these circumstances not as dreams but as memories, for something tells me we are not scared of what could, but of what was.”</p><p>“Can you be a bit more clear? Are you saying I—we lived through that?”</p><p>She nodded. “It is just a theory, but every time I fell into slumber and relived that exact adventure, each time I feel a sense of knowing for the various victims. Their faces unfamiliar, yet their roles invoked something within me. What did you feel when you saw them?”</p><p><em>“Dread,”</em> immediately came to Byleth’s mind, though he kept the comment to himself. Before opening his mouth the girl nodded and began to ponder again.</p><p>“Dread. Well it is true that I felt that as well. A desire to not see those victims in particular die in the ways we observed—”</p><p>“I didn’t say anything,” Byleth noted, feeling confused. “How did you know that? About the dread?”</p><p>The girl’s eyes widened at the question and she went silent. Not a thought passed by in Byleth’s mind as he stared at the far smaller figure, whose face was as stoic as his own.</p><p>
  <em>“Can you hear me?”</em>
</p><p>He blinked as the thought came to mind, and with the reaction given the girl gave a great sigh. “Well, that opens up more questions than I was hoping for. Something tells me my current theory just got hit somewhere, but I’m not entirely sure where. Anyhow, let’s just continue and get back to… Whatever that was.</p><p>“Well, in that fear of losing them I believe there also lies a sense of recognition,” she went on ignoring the look of concern on Byleth. “You mentioned a feeling of connection with the dead, and with your statements about those people from before near that river does make the question more complicated, especially as though it was their bodies we saw it was not the same people.”</p><p>She grumbled to herself as her train of thought slowly found little progress, and Byleth could hear him formulating a thousand possibilities in his mind. Despite knowing beforehand that it was coming, it still was a shock and for once did he feel that someone had truly breeched his sense of privacy. Then something came to him.</p><p>“…A proxy.”</p><p>“A what?” the girl sputtered out, though after a moment she gave a smile. “No, that could be it; using one’s past memories to fill in the lack of reference. A far reach for sure, but if these are locked away memories then perhaps it’s just a return of the truth. I mean, here I am without a memory of my name saying this, but in all honesty I feel gripping onto the obscure may be the best chance right now.”</p><p>Her smile fell soon after, however. “But that doesn’t make sense if you only met them recently. Why would we replace those we have no clue as to whom with those we have not a clue as to whom? It doesn’t make sense if we were to go by the logic I mentioned prior.”</p><p>“Don’t be so down,” Byleth argued. She gave a pout at the idea and began to shout at him for his nonchalance, and in doing so did she make Byleth give a smile, an action which felt foreign and a bit off-putting, yet not awful either.</p><p>“So we don’t know anything still, and that all of these mysteries are causing us no loss of anger. But I guess it feels nice to know I’m not the only one struggling with this in a way.”</p><p>“Well don’t drag me into this mess will you.” Her pout shifted back into a frown. “In truth, though, I still feel guilt for some reason. We may not have found any conclusive ideas as to why, but I feel the perpetrator behind this all is myself. In the nightmare I felt awful and longed to awaken, yet I could think then too, and a voice within told me that it was myself that did this. That all of these oddities that have fallen on both of us was something born of my own power, and though my name is lost it be for the best.</p><p>“That voice which spoke was my own, and I feel as if whatever brought you here is connected to my failings.”</p><p>She yawned and began to walk back up the steps. “Perhaps there is not an answer I can give you to grant closure to anything given my own lack of a past, but I’ll try to bring an end to this madness somehow, I swear it. I have no need of sleeping only to fall victim to the nightmare, and though I know that my guilt has yet to be proven, that doesn’t mean I will lay back and watch us struggle eternally.”</p><p>All of the frustration Byleth had felt seemed to melt away as her small body slumped into the seat, her eyes barely open yet they struggled to remain still. Every second that she longed to keep herself afloat felt like an eternity but eventually her eyes began to shut.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said, though his voice was soft and it was as if slumber was taking a hold upon him as well. “Thank you… I just… You shouldn’t...</p><p>“Don’t blame yourself Sothis. It was ours to make.”</p><p>The words came out without him realizing it, yet Byleth knew them to be true and with them did he spot the girl smirk. Then a great ring of the arcane burst into existence in front of her, and with the snap of the fingers did Byleth feel himself being washed away by something unknown.</p><p> And there he was, back upon the riverbank, with the Goddess’s bounty in his grasp.</p><p>
  <em>“Ours you say, you dimwitted thing… Oh, I wish that were true…” </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to those who gave support in the first chapter. Given my reluctance to argue that anything in my stories possess even a miniscule of quality, it was nice to know that some still found joy in the writing whether it be legitimate or ironic. Apologies if the pacing and overall dialogue in the chapter felt awkward to read, or that I’m throwing so much at you that it feels like none of it is sticking because it feels meaningless this early; trying to put words on the screen after coming up with scenes in the head is something that I struggle with, and I have a feeling I’ll need to draft more in the future for more coherent writing. Overall I won’t deny that these few chapters are difficult to take in as the beginning of this story was something I went in unprepared unlike the ending which I had decided upon since the story’s foundation. I’ll try to maintain a schedule of at least once a week, but do note that life always finds a way and there will be difficulties down the path. Anyways, I hope you will be so willing as to comment or give critique, and I hope you have a good day.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Recollection — II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Last Chapter: Jeralt’s mercenary company is hired to defend the fiefdom of Arundel, with fears of incursion from bandits being high after raids targeting Remire Village. In said settlement, Byleth found himself with time to spare and went to fish, but upon hearing discussion on the Goddess he suddenly collapses. Reuniting with the mysterious girl, the two discussed the current circumstances and come to the conclusion that the nightmare was of things that had occurred. Pitying the girl who seemed distraught at herself, he calls for her to stop blaming herself and reveals her name: Sothis.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Date Conceived: July 2020<br/>Date Written: 28 July 2020—31 July 2020<br/>Word Count: 6,104<br/>WARNING: THE FOLLOW MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL UNSUITABLE FOR CERTAIN READERS. FOR THE BENEFIT OF MAINTAINING AMBIGUITY FOR FUTURE STORYLINES NOTHING WILL BE EXPLICITLY MENTIONED IN DETAIL. BE AWARE AS YOU ARE READING AND IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE MATERIAL PLEASE STOP FOR YOUR OWN SAKE.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Her slumber broken, Sothis awoke upon her throne and lamented her lack of company.</p><p>“Your presence would be a nice deviation,” she admitted while yawning, her thoughts shifting toward her infrequent guest. Since their last encounter she found herself awake more often, the length of consciousness having increased greatly on her lonesome.</p><p>The nightmares were static, however, constantly replaying the same rounds with false faces upon familiar figures, always beginning with the well and ending with a dagger thrown her way.</p><p><em>“Dreadfully boring affair,” </em>she thought to herself as she recalled not dodging the incoming blade this time, though beads of sweat still fell from her face. Getting up from her seat and walking down to stretch her legs, she paced about trying to unstiffen herself.</p><p>After finishing her new common routine, she began to ponder on her situation once more knowing everything led back to whatever event plagued her and her <em>partner</em>. She began to walk about while doing so in the hopes of somehow jogging some sort of memory, whether the activity had any merit or not.</p><p>“Alright, so back to that stupid theory. The idea of travelling through the streams of time and the concept of proxies to fill a void… Ultimately an idiotic affair with too little to back it up, no matter how coincidental some of it seems. It was, and is, a concept created to give ourselves some closure no matter how outlandish the entire idea is.</p><p>“Yet here I am, talking to myself still on this matter.”</p><p>Knowing that this entire affair was a circular path, she simply groaned to herself before plopping down onto the steps. Every time she attempted to creating a new hypothesis that would supplant the bizarre ideas she and Byleth had made always fell apart as her heart yearned to go back to the first, and a desire to slam her face upon the stonework seemed awfully appetizing.</p><p>“Is this but another symptom of our journey to this timeline?” she pondered. “I did move time’s wheel for you to maintain a sense of dignity, yet I know to clash against the tides of fate is equal to folly. What point is there to destiny if it can simply be smashed to pieces.</p><p>“So why was it that I—Sothis, the Beginning and the Progenitor Goddess of this realm—moved us back this far?”</p><p>She leaned back and despite the discomfort she laid there, unmoving. The thoughts of the reoccurring nightmares or the incredibly esoteric conundrum she found herself in seemed to melt away into nothing more than a bad dream as she began to calm herself.</p><p>Her eyes widened and she screamed.</p><p>“Why!” she shouted as she pounded her fists onto the steps. “Beginning! Progenitor! Goddess! Why is this coming now! Why not then! What does this even mean, I mean goddess! I—I just want to know who I am dammit! Why can’t it all come back at once or something! Or just… I just…</p><p>“I just want to know why I’m the one feeling guilt here.”</p><p>Despite possessing a good amount of more time before falling into slumber, Sothis stayed there for the remainder of her time, and her only thoughts were to stare into the abyss and await for her body to fail her once more.</p><p>“Huh… If I be a goddess, then who in world are you?” With a sigh she picked herself back up, and began to reconsider her previous thoughts once more.</p><p>And with that so again began her cycle.</p>
<hr/><p>Byleth awoke with sweat dripping from his face, the dream bringing back memories of the nightmare he once underwent, of the vivid reality despite the falsehoods and of the carnage that ensued.</p><p>Jeralt sat about nearby and took a look to see his son now awake. He put away the bottle and walked up to his child, who now was standing and looking about the house as if he were to be jumped at any moment.</p><p>“Hey, glad to see you’re awake,” said Jeralt. “We really need to hit the road. Our contract here seems to be at an end for the time being. The mayor’s starting to feel more comfortable now that the incidents have stopped, so we should get a move on.”</p><p>“Yeah…” answered back Byleth, though his father took notice of his discomfort and patted him upon the shoulder.</p><p>The young man barely out of his teens took a breath and began to put on his armor, with Jeralt assisting with some straps. “You know, you can talk to me about this if you want. Can’t really remember the last time you were like this, though a decade back does ring some bells as to what’s going on. A nightmare or something?”</p><p>Byleth shook his head, though he felt a bit dishonest doing so. Picking up his longsword and strapping it to his side, he made his way out the front door and found himself in near darkness, only the lights of lit torches and burning fireplaces keeping him from being well and truly blind.</p><p>His father had found his personal messer, a great blade which could separate a man torso to feet, and had already brought over their personal steeds to the house. Byleth managed to mount his in the dead of night, and with his father leading the way with a personal torch they rode forward to the rest of the men.</p><p>A handful of some newly raised militia waved at them as they passed, their armament even worse then the soldiers Byleth had saw earlier in the week. Most of the village was rather destitute as far as he could surmise, though the sturgeon he had saw being bagged was seemingly worth enough to feed the old man for a good while.</p><p>“They going to be alright?” He looked about and saw only houses and a small set of stalls meant to sell goods to the locals, and there were no forms of defenses whatsoever with too many places where brigands could hide about before launching an assault.</p><p>His father shrugged off his concerns, though the man’s voice was laced with uncertainty that Byleth had learned to pick up on over the years. Deciding to take his father’s word, he found himself nearly riding ahead without realizing and slowed to match pace.</p><p>Upon ascending up a small slope did he spot lit houses in the distance. “Father, have I ever told you about dreaming of a young girl. Let’s say, someone small, dainty, and with hair the size of herself and greener than grass sort of girl?”</p><p>Jeralt pondered the question. “Once, I think. It was when you had that nightmare all those years ago, you know, that one time. It was the morning after I believe and you seemed so curious about it as well. But as far as I can tell, I’ve never met someone like that. People similar maybe, but no one small.”</p><p>“What about a battlefield?”</p><p>Caught off-guard by the sudden change in subject, his father looked upon him with confusion before moving onward. “Well, a vast field with two armies clashing sort of affair? Nothing like that has occurred here in Fódlan for centuries. There was the war with Dagda, but that was mostly on foreign soil. Even their incursions weren’t that massive. Nothing of the like here at least. Why you ask?”</p><p>“Well, I dreamed of something happening, I guess you can say,” he began. “It was this big affair, with cavalry charging at one another without a hint of hesitation. Formations being drawn up on the spot, mages shooting forth magic the size of these houses. The stuff you talked about when you were lecturing me on grand strategy and the like. They just went in for the kill and rushed in like maniacs.”</p><p>“Some lesson that was,” Jeralt mused to himself. “Look, that’s quite the scuffle, but even the battles I can recall from the histories don’t have people being that aggressive in terms of warfare. I only taught you that to get you to understand that this business requires caution as much as it does boldness, and most of the big battles weren’t that brazen; those that were so bold generally didn’t make it out alive.”</p><p>“Didn’t you charge in singlehandedly during that one raid after getting annoyed by the sergeant in Sauin?” Byleth questioned, but his father refused to entertain the statement and instead sped up.</p><p>He shook his head as they rode forward, but eventually his father stopped dead in his tracks and simply stared out toward the bright houses. Soon both were staring at the shining light, and the smell of burnt wood lazily passed by. Byleth coughed while Jeralt stared for a few seconds longer before riding at max speed.</p><p>Though there were still lights within every window, closer inspection revealed a burnt husk of a wall that made up a still standing, albeit heavily damaged, building with a small crowd trying to douse the flames.</p><p>Byleth took notice of some mercenaries trying to assist in the cause, with one of them being cut open on the arm and bleeding out rather quickly. Dismounting to help, his eyes suddenly gazed to the forest northward where not a trace of activity could be spotted.</p><p>“I’m guessing the <em>disappeared</em> brigands decided to make their move,” Jeralt called out and was met with nods. With a groan he called for his lance and looked around for his sergeants, but only raw recruits they had gathered recently were among them.</p><p>Spotting the injured man, he knelt down to get a better look but paused while processing the wound. He looked into the man’s eyes and then slammed his fist upon the man’s temple, slamming him into the ground and causing the others to panic.</p><p>“What did you—” one of soldiers called out, but Jeralt raised his palm to silence them. Remounting, he began to scour the southern end of the village and called for the senior most man. Whispering something to him, the man set off in a hurry and Jeralt turned his attention to the unconscious individual.</p><p>“Byleth, did you recruit anyone new into the company while I was away, or during this week?” Byleth shook his head and Jeralt murmured a thanks. “Alright then, the rest of you up to the wall where I can see you. If any of you try something, you’ll be skewered from the bottom up!”</p><p>The remaining three quickly followed orders and did so with haste. Byleth walked up to every one of them and began to inspect personal arms, unsheathing blades, daggers, and any other sort of implement that could cause a gash.</p><p>Upon walking up to the last man, the latter quickly unsheathed his blade and swung, but Byleth ducked and slammed his fist onto the throat, leaving him a sputtering mess on the ground. Picking up the blade, he noticed it was freshly laced with blood and shook his head.</p><p>“Interesting choice to deliberately wound yourselves to better fit in, but sloppy of you to not even bother cleaning the mess; you have a fire to dispose of any dirtied rags anyhow.”</p><p>Byleth looked upon the other two. “When did these two come into the village? And who gave them permission to serve here, because neither I nor my father had called for any new hands to be hired?”</p><p>“We just joined you guys a few weeks back!” one argued in his defense. “We know some left with the captain for the town up north, so we assumed they were with him. We’re trying to figure out faces here; it’s harder than you think!”</p><p>Jeralt smacked one on the shoulder and looked back to see some of his personal guard approaching. Alongside was the mayor of the village, his new calm demeanor being replaced by the horrified figure he saw back during the celebrations.</p><p>“What in the name of the Goddess happened…” he sputtered out, the old man nearly collapsing onto his knees at the sight of another attack. Some of Jeralt’s guards simply looked at him with a mix of pity and discomfort, though stayed close and kept watch.</p><p>“Apologies, it seems that some of the bandits managed to sneak into my ranks without me noticing. I’ll take full responsibility for this and deliver their heads to you if you’d like, but right now we’ll need to do a clean sweep of the area. You two go back and stay on lookout for any suspicious individuals, got it? Kid, you and I—”</p><p>
  <em>“Always at it, isn’t he. The little ones don’t seem to be coming this time, though.”</em>
</p><p>His father’s voice being drowned out by another’s, Byleth looked about but found no one else with him. His head began to bake once more and he groaned in discomfort, but his instincts told him to continue to keep a diligent watch toward the north.</p><p>His blank stare was directed toward the forest ahead, and despite the migraines his gaze never wavered. His breath began to rise and Jeralt soon took notice, approaching his son who was hyperventilating without warning.</p><p>“Hey!” called out Jeralt in confusion. “You’ve been acting strange for a while now; you sure you don’t want to step out for a bit? We got things under control here if you’re feeling under the weather.”</p><p>“Three of them…”</p><p>“What now?” Jeralt asked, but Byleth simply climbed upon his horse’s saddle and began to ride toward the forest without warning, leaving the mercenary captain on his lonesome to watch his son suddenly make a break for the tree line.</p><p>“You three…” Byleth spoke to himself. “You should’ve been here by now… Where are you kids?”</p><p>
  <em>“Teach, we really should have a chat like we used to back in the day. Be nice to simply relax for once given the current affairs of life. You know, I—I only have so much time left here.”</em>
</p><p>“Come on now, where are you…”</p><p>
  <em>“I carved a path through the Empire, lost my humanity and all that made me who I was, all of this to appease those forgotten and to bring justice to this world! And you… You stand here now before me!”</em>
</p><p>“Be cowards and just run to us please…”</p><p>
  <em>“Why… I knew our paths were to cross one day, and that only one would walk away to bring forth their vision to this broken world. I knew… And yet, I thought you were to stand by my side. You did once, and now you fight for her! You know of her crimes, so why then!”</em>
</p><p>“Just think for once, please…”</p><p>
  <em>“Keep calling yourself that all you want, you know that isn’t the truth fool! We haven’t gone through this entire charade for the last decade just for you to end it all now! I know you won’t, their sacrifices would mean nothing then. But if I am to hear you say those words again, then I will break my own oaths dammit! The oaths which I followed even when all seemed lost! Don’t do this.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Just say for once that you deserve to live!”</em>
</p><p>“Dammit! Please just—”</p><p>A stray arrow made its way into his horse’s eye and soon Byleth was flung off the creature’s back, and plummeted into a nearby tree. The impact caused him to cough up air and as he began to scout out where the projectile had emerged. The darkness, however, obscured his vision and only then did he realize how little he had learned.</p><p>He felt the tip of a spear pressed to his back and then heard two more footsteps coming his way. He looked upon his captor and saw a hint of blue, and a sigh of relief was given.</p><p>“Claude, you could’ve killed him with that!” Edelgard called out, the princess looking upon the area of landing. “We need a prisoner, not a dead man who cannot tell us anything about these men!”</p><p>“Hey now, your Majesty,” defended Claude, who still sported a grin in spite of their circumstances. “I doubt there’s much to learn that we haven’t discussed earlier; this is either for a bounty for gold, a ransom for gold, or the gold in our pockets. Maybe some <em>hunting accident</em> I suppose, but really I can’t imagine some nobody being told the entire story here. Got to keep any loose ends from spilling the beans too early.”</p><p>“Both of you, settle yourselves!” Dimitri demanded, his sight never leaving the now pinned Byleth. “Now then, you will tell us why you are following us. Know that if you attempt anything then I will be forced to put you down where you lay.”</p><p>All three were caught off-guard by their prisoner giving a laugh, and Claude began to look about for any allies but found none. “Alright, so did we bag a madman or what, because something tells me we’re getting nothing out of this one.”</p><p>“You’re students of the Officers Academy, correct,” Byleth stated rather than question. “Don’t worry, I’m not a part of the group of bandits harassing you. I just heard that there were some people who needed some help and so I came.”</p><p>“That’s awfully hard to prove,” Edelgard retorted. “How in the world do you plan on proving your innocence?”</p><p>A new arrow made its mark by nearly impaling the Adrestian princess, only being blocked at the last minute by her axe’s shaft. A handful of well armored men charged into the group, with Dimitri keeping them at bay with a flurry of jabs which connected, but their armor kept them alive albeit heavily bruised.</p><p>Claude retorted to the assault with shots of his own, hitting true upon the archer’s shoulder before landing another onto the woman’s chest. As she fell two more marksmen came from the darkness and began to loose arrows into the fray, forcing all four to scramble to safety.</p><p>The two men confronting Dimitri were suddenly assaulted by Edelgard who slammed her axe head into the neck of one of them, penetrating the mail which protected him and knocking the body into his friend. The latter fell onto the ground and attempted to get a footing, but was put down with a downward thrust by Dimitri.</p><p>“Wait a minute,” the sole noble of the group realized. “Crap, the insane guy’s—”</p><p>Byleth leaped up from his position and charged the two archers. Both began to loose arrows but they were deflected with well-timed parries, and with a lunge Byleth’s longsword had impaled one of them cleanly up to the crossguard. Unable to get the blade out, Byleth hurriedly brought out his dagger and plunged it into the heart of the other, killing them both.</p><p>“Okay then,” Claude said. “I think he’s good. Probably.”</p><p>Dimitri looked down upon his kill before placing his attention on the new arrival. “Apologies for our earlier actions. It seems you truly are here to assist us. Anyhow, we’re fairly certain these aren’t any sort of brigand, or at least I’ve never heard of robber knights banding together like this before.”</p><p>“Anything is possible,” Edelgard argued back. “It would do you some good to remember any form of person can shift allegiance in a hurry. Anyhow, I must apologies also, but right now are there any more that can assist us; there were up to twenty more coming this way if I remember correctly.”</p><p>“There’s a village south of here,” Byleth quickly called out. “My father is the head of a mercenary company located there for the time being. Head the way I came and come back with some help. I’ll hold them back long enough for you to make your escape.”</p><p>“Wait, that’s a bit much for you to handle on your own,” Dimitri argued, but shouts in the distance cut him off. He readied himself for further action, but he spotted Claude fleeing the scene and began to make chase, cursing him for his cowardice and apologizing along the way.</p><p>Edelgard began to pursue, but not before looking back at the now chagrining mercenary who was shouting to the enemy. And with that she left the area, leaving Byleth alone to his thoughts and what was a far larger force than he recalled.</p><p><em>“Clearly things have changed too drastically for this to be the same enemy as before,”</em> Byleth noted. <em>“It was Kostas I think we fought here back then, but these guys are far too equipped to be some deserting levy. More like knights than anything.”</em></p><p>A handful had spotted him and made chase, but their heavier armor though not impacting their speed as drastically as one would assume, still made them slower than the already fit and lighter weight foe they were pursuing. One tried to get the jump on Byleth by hiding behind a tree, but the latter simply turned to his left and missed them.</p><p>“Goddess damn you!” one of them cried out, and with a grunt she hurled a javelin at his position. The polearm became lodged into a nearby trunk and Byleth found himself harried by far too many to take on. An arrow was loosed in his direction once more, and though he blocked at the last second he felt disappointed by his response.</p><p>“My instincts seem to have carried over, but not my strength.”</p><p>A bright light emerged from the distance and he hurled himself onto the ground, missing the incoming lightning dispatched to his position. Cursing the entire affair, he found himself confronted with two of the soldiers while the rest were catching up and readied himself for hell.</p><p>Both of his enemies kept their guards up and were on the defensive, buying time for their allies to secure the kill. Recognizing this, Byleth hurled himself onto one of them and prayed his own armor would deflect any blows at such a short range.</p><p>His cuirass blocked a weak swing, but he felt his arm torn by the other man, yet he pressed on and carried the man in his arms. He swung around and hurled him as far as he could to the other, which wasn’t too far a distance given the weight yet it caused them to stumble granting him an exit.</p><p>“This guy’s absurd! Just kill him already!”</p><p>More magic and missiles came his way, and every time Byleth narrowly dodged what was certain death. His breathing had become heavier and he knew he only possessed a fraction of his stamina at that moment, yet he moved onward to keep their attention.</p><p>“Sothis!” he called out. “Can you hear me! Get ready to reverse time any minute now because I can’t keep this up!”</p><p>“Using the Goddess’s name in vain, you vermin,” one of the soldiers spat out. “Clearly the Archbishop has been too lenient in recent memory, but to think that the Central Church would allow such things. Truly, we are the righteous this day.”</p><p>His words caught Byleth by surprise and he looked back to see that they indeed were more than just some knights, but rather possessed armor similar to that at the Monastery. Though the design was slightly different, they were without question Knights of Seiros.</p><p>“What type of world did we send ourselves to…”</p><p>Finding himself at a dead end with a cliff in front of him, Byleth turned and parried an incoming stab from a spear. Grabbing onto the polearm, he pulled the woman toward him and slashed at the neck, the second blow breaking the chains and cutting open a nasty gash.</p><p>Once more he used the body to catch the others off-balance, but this time they were prepared and simply caught the incoming corpse. Now he faced three assaulting him at once, and he was put on the backfoot as small scratches and cuts were accumulating into something serious.</p><p>“Six more months and I could kill you all singlehandedly,” Byleth barked, yet he felt a sense of dread as Sothis had yet to respond to his pleas. He managed to cut down another, yet there were simply too many and the skirmishers were beginning to flank him, leaving him exposed to far too many attacks.</p><p>With a blow from a mace the mercenary was knocked to the ground, and though he managed to land one last blow to the kneecap which sent his assailant tumbling he was left to the mercy of the rest. Not a grin was upon their faces, only a stern look of disappointment before their leader prepared to lunge the blade downward.</p><p>“Dammit! What is taking you—”</p><p>A flash of light erupted in front of him and suddenly the downward strike was blocked by an arcane force, the steel being knocked aside and the knight forced back. Stand there was his savior, who looked back at him with her green eyes.</p><p>And upon Sothis’s face was a look of confusion and as she turned she quickly realized where she was.</p><p>“Hm… Alright, so not what I had in mind.”</p><p>Though it were not the first time he had seen her form some type of bodily projection into the mortal realm, Byleth felt bewildered by the fact that he could in fact feel her feet brush upon his legs. She herself seemed to be going through the same reaction, though the men to their front were undergoing a different spell.</p><p>“What in the…” one of the soldiers sputtered. “What’s just happened? And what’s with this weird… I don’t know. It looks like some hazy sort of figure.”</p><p>“Well, they can kind of see me,” Sothis noted with her brow raised. “Well, I guess this is new. Was trying to turn back time to be honest, but a <em>physical</em> body is nice I suppose. I think it’s real at least.”</p><p>Her statement was cut off by another blow by the man, and though it was still repelled this time he held his ground. Soon the others joined in the assault and Sothis found herself being pushed back hard, and whatever form of spell she had casted was giving way to the weight of their attacks.</p><p>“Hey, do something already! Not used to this!”</p><p>Byleth managed to get a footing and with Sothis supporting him, managed to land a few stabs with precise timing, slashing at the side of one of the knight’s heads before narrowly entering one of the visor’s openings, though the sword was quickly trapped due to the tight space.</p><p>Soon this counterattack was completely repelled and Sothis felt whatever she was defending with disappear as she narrowly dodged a lethal wound. She tried to flee but found her legs awfully weak from the assault, and soon collapsed upon her own weight.</p><p>“Come on,” she said angrily, but found that she not only could not turn back the hands of time, but also that whatever shield she used was completely depleted from the assault from earlier, and the entire affair had returned to square one.</p><p>Barring the fact that she herself was now a victim, of course.</p><p>“Thanks for everything,” Byleth groaned and was met with a ferocious glare by his partner. One of the knights hovered over her, seemingly not entirely sure what they were attacking and therefore gave pause, granting them valuable seconds to do nothing.</p><p>“Hey, this is something we’ve never done before! I didn’t even know I could—”</p><p>Whatever her argument was vanished as she did, leaving Byleth alone once more as her figure disappeared within the instant. The one who was guarding her seemed just as shocked, though the others were more focused upon the warrior who felled too many of their own.</p><p>“I have no clue as to what that display was,” the leader said, unfazed by the entire debacle. “But it seems whatever plans you had to escape just left you to your demise. Perhaps we could use someone as skilled as yourself in our ranks, but something tells me that would be suicide.”</p><p>“You have no clue…” moaned Byleth. “Who even are you? You’re not from Oghma. What, you from the west?”</p><p>The man finally grinned. “It seems our exploits have travelled far and our quest by the Goddess has been heard all the way this far east it seems. Well, know that at the very least you shall pass from the earth in the name of the—”</p><p>The sound of horses came from their rear and upon turning the leader of the knights was impaled through the shoulder by Jeralt’s lance, and his screams echoed in the night as his body was slammed onto the cliffside. The armor dented and soon there was but a limping corpse upon the weapon.</p><p>Despite their high discipline and high-quality armaments, the men were quickly dispatched as Jeralt swatted them aside and the other horsemen played it safe, striking in unison and giving them no quarter until the very last man was killed.</p><p>Within a minute the entire area was cleared of any danger, and suddenly the desperate situation died within the moment.</p><p>“Dammit, kid!” Jeralt cried out, leaping off his horse and cradling his nearly broken son. Though the wounds suffered seemed temporary at worst and could heal with time, the sheer amount of blows taken the wind out of Byleth and left him struggling to get up.</p><p>Managing to put weight upon his feet, Byleth could only breathe out as his father ordered the men to search the woods for any stragglers. Helping him up upon his horse, Jeralt rode onward with a small contingent around them.</p><p>“You did good, keeping those kids safe,” Jeralt stated. “Real important figures too would you believe it, though something tells me meeting them might not be the best of luck from personal experience. Still, how did you know they were here in the first place; took us a good minute or so before we even spotted them after following.”</p><p>“I guess I just had a gut feeling is all.”</p><p>Exhausted by the entire ordeal, Byleth began to close his eyes and without warning passed out leaning on his father’s back.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, that was rather intriguing, now wasn’t it?”</p><p>Byleth found himself within the room he had come to accept as a bastion of peace, and the small girl who had saved him seemed just as exhausted as he. She did not sit upon her throne, but instead was at its base and gave a small smile at high presence.</p><p>“How long ago was it that we met?” Byleth smirked. “It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was only, what? Fifteen years?”</p><p>“Try thirty-five,” she corrected, the girl shaking her head. “I don’t remember everything personally; our meeting with the children, being appointed professor, some odd man dressed like a corpse, something in Remire, being trapped in that darkness thanks to your stupidity, and of course that war which raged on for the most baseless of reasons. Not much else, admittedly.”</p><p>Byleth nodded in agreement as it seemed to match how far his mind could pry, his memories being vague and ultimately unhelpful in terms of details, yet it was far better than it was a week ago. Still, he frowned.</p><p>“Why are we here? You were the one who always went on about never combating the acts of fate, that destiny was simply what was or something along those lines. I don’t know what happened, but I know you wouldn’t allow this to have happened in the first place.”</p><p>Sothis frowned as well and gave not an answer. She walked up and looked upon him, seeing that no longer did he possess the scarred and tired face he held after the war, but instead the one of youth and genuine livelihood during his tenure as a lecturer.</p><p>“If I am to be honest I cannot recollect what had occurred back then, but I know two things: you were the one who argued to live in the world that was born from the conflict and I the one who decided to tip the pot over by pushing my powers to their very limits.”</p><p>“But why?” Byleth pressed. “You never were one to go back on that issue—even with my father.”</p><p>She remained silent and realizing that she had no answer to her hypocrisy, Byleth switched gears to another subject which plagued him. “What was that back there? You said you couldn’t move back time, yet you somehow were able to enter the land of the living and defend me?”</p><p>“Huh,” Sothis said in surprise. She gave a moment to think. “Well, I am not entirely sure about that either. My abilities have always been great, being that I helped forge this continent into the land it had become, yet it is clear that my strength declined after my passing, and it seems even under you it never returned to its original state. Perhaps it is simply because more time has passed or that my abilities carried over to this timeline, yet I won’t deny it is an oddity I cannot explain in good faith.</p><p>“After all, if I could somehow craft myself a body to inhabit, wouldn’t that make your entire existence null in terms of creation?”</p><p>The subject of his origin was always an awkward subject not for its implications, but rather the lack of knowledge either possessed. Even now without much of their former lives they could instinctively recall that this was not an affair fully understood, and so Byleth could only shrug in response.</p><p>“Admittedly, it would be interesting to see if I could age,” Sothis’s mind wandered. “But I have a good feeling seeing how those zealots could barely perceive me it isn’t like a normal human body, and given that I’m not even human in origin my growth would be stunted by nature even if it were the case. Though having this youthful look does have advantages I’m not entirely sure I would deny myself of.”</p><p>“Like?”</p><p>“Well, mankind truly pities the sight of a small child in need. One could be gifted half the world simply by appearing helpless, and I could think of a few things that would amuse me with this fact in mind.”</p><p>“Oh yeah,” Byleth realized. “You’re a menace. Need to remind myself of that.”  </p><p>Humored by his comments, her smile returned to her and both found themselves at peace for the moment. “Anyhow, we should strategize as to how we should deal with future incursions with our former associates. Your children, the staff, my own children, and of course those foes of ours who…”</p><p>Realization dawned on her and she groaned.</p><p>“Of course the one thing I cannot remember is who was our enemy. Great…”</p><p>Disappointment followed suit in Byleth and both could only sigh at the idea, yet he in particular remained firm. “Well, let’s look at the bright side of things.”</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>“It’s awfully nostalgic to be in the dark all the time, isn’t it?”</p><p>“…I forgot I despise you at times. I legitimately longed for your presence a week ago and now I want nothing to with you ever more.”</p><p>“I’m not that bad I would like to imagine,” Byleth argued, seemingly amused by his partner’s annoyance with him. “I am the one who ended the war with whoever at the very least. Not that the outcome was the best, but we did win I believe.”</p><p>Sothis snorted. “Yeah, only because you had my influence to guide you the entire way. Always being the one to determine what was actually happening, telling you what issues your children were talking about behind your back during lecture, or how you completely ignored my warnings and launched yourself into that trap which forced me to abandon ties with you for years!”</p><p>Byleth frowned. “You’ll never get over that, will you. I’m fairly certain you said nothing that day; only fairly certain because my memory has yet to fully return, but it’s more likely than you actually being proactive.”</p><p>“I don’t want to hear this from the man who took three years after the war to realize his entire student body had been hampering around him during the school year simply because they lusted over you, especially a handful which should require no disclosure.”</p><p>He winced at the remark and she soon took joy at dominating the conversation. “Please do not word it like that. Perhaps they may have held a handful of crushes, but it was never like that.”</p><p>“Manuela.”</p><p>“…You know I could really live without the existence of some tiny child lecturing me eternally, you know that?”</p><p>“Please,” she smirked. “Like you could ever live without me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, this is the first thing I've written in a long while. Apologies for the long delay and if you like to know why, go over to the updates section for further information. Anyhow, I do admit combat is something I do require further work on and the pacing has been awkward alongside some weird characterization due to some ideas coming out rather oddly in practice, but hopefully with this the set-up shall be complete and the true meat of the story can occur. Hopefully, the next update won't take as long as this one did to come out, though do note life always finds a way to screw with schedules. As always I would love for further feedback, whether it be what you're enjoying or what you believe I could improve on (which is far too many things to list), and I hope you all have a good day.</p><p>Next Update: Currently bogged by schoolwork unexpectedly. Have the chapter finished, but I desire to have a few done in advance so more updates can be done in accordance. Apologies.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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